By Asif Naveed
SPORTS DESK (MNN); Pakistan secured a place in the upcoming FIH Hockey World Cup after defeating Japan 4-3 in a thrilling semi-final of the World Cup qualifying tournament at the Suez Canal Authority Hockey Stadium in Egypt on Friday.
The victory guarantees Pakistan’s return to the prestigious global event after an absence of eight years. The next Hockey World Cup will be jointly hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands in August.
Led by captain Ammad Butt, Pakistan produced a remarkable comeback after trailing 3-1 in the third quarter. The Green Shirts scored three goals in the final nine minutes of the last quarter to snatch victory from Japan.
Pakistan took an early lead in the ninth minute when Ammad Butt scored an impressive field goal. The lead remained intact until the end of the first quarter.
Japan equalised in the second quarter when Ryoma Ooka scored a field goal in the 21st minute.
Japan then took firm control of the match in the third quarter. Shota Yamada scored in the 35th minute before Yamasaki Koji extended the lead in the 40th minute, giving Japan a comfortable 3-1 advantage.
However, Pakistan staged a sensational comeback in the final quarter. Abu Bakr Mahmood reduced the deficit with a goal in the 52nd minute, followed by another strike from Sufyan Khan in the 55th minute to level the score.
Afraz then scored the decisive goal in the 57th minute to put Pakistan ahead 4-3.
Japan had a golden chance to equalise just two minutes before the final whistle, but Fujishima Raiki missed a penalty stroke, allowing Pakistan to secure the victory.
Pakistan have remained unbeaten in the qualifying tournament so far, winning all their group matches against China (5-4), Malaysia (5-3) and Austria (4-2) before defeating Japan in the semi-final.
Pakistan will now face England in the final of the qualifying event on Saturday at the same venue. England reached the final after defeating Malaysia 7-1 in the other semi-final.
Once a dominant force in international hockey and four-time World Cup champions, Pakistan had struggled in recent years. The team failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup held in The Hague and finished 12th in the 2018 tournament held in Bhubaneswar, India. Pakistan also missed qualification for the 2023 World Cup held in Odisha, India.
